Trip Truck

big world - short life

Introduction

Though this site is mainly concerned with our truck conversion project, amongst the general ramblings will be found - I hope - information that should be useful to anyone involved in building, modifying, or equipping any vehicle that is intended to be used as a bespoke motorhome.

About Us

We'll get the dull bit out of the way as quickly as possible: my wife and I have travelled a fair few miles on several continents and have, over the years, explored using everything from our feet - through push bikes and very basic camper vans - right up to plush mobile homes. We’ve also lived on a narrowboat and have done a fair bit of waterborne touring. Our main reasons for travelling revolve around interests in natural history and outstanding landscapes.

Our Style of Travel

We prefer to overnight wherever the fancy takes us and very rarely use formal sites. We also tend to travel on a daily basis and only exceptionally spend more than one night in the same place. This massively affects our equipment choice and does away with the need for such things as mains-electricity hardware, cumbersome battery reserves and generators etc.

Overnighting off formal sites, though very rarely prohibited, can still incur resentment. Notwithstanding, our considered view is that as long as it’s done legally, discreetly and respectfully, there is no reason to do anything other than pick a spot and enjoy the wilderness. Quite simply, we prefer to be in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by the sights and sounds of the natural world, and would happily pay at least the cost of staying on the nearest campsite to be left to our own devices; thoroughly detached from everything it means to be unable to function without a hook-up.

NB. We do not support ‘communes’ or any motorhome-based activity that intentionally, recklessly or unthinkingly results in adverse environmental impact or impacts upon local communities.

Why a Truck?

A few of the many vehicles we’ve previously used to explore are pictured on this page, some are hire vehicles and some we have owned. The experience gained in spending time on the road and actually living with different base vehicles, layouts and equipment has been utterly invaluable and very influential. As may perhaps be concluded after reading the Motorhomes page - we were, for some time, unwittingly drifting towards the inevitable...

The truck solution slowly fermented mainly because we had become increasingly frustrated when met with the limit of a standard motorhome’s capabilities; particularly when it came to reaching remote areas of outstanding natural history interest which - by their very nature - are often well off the beaten track. Also, in terms of setting up camp for the night, we have found that the difference between a really good spot and a horrible one can be as little as a few hundred metres but - crucially - that few hundred metres is often impassable for the vast majority of road vehicles. We are big fans of solitude and it’s pretty much guaranteed that if you can drive a 'normal' motorhome to a dream spot then you’ll quickly find yourself joined by others. Note well: people who tend towards a strong herding instinct are nearly always extraordinarily noisy!

Why not off-the-peg?

There are several reasons that we decided to self-convert, these are the three main ones:

Layout and equipment are very personal things. We wanted to make the absolute best use of space and choose exactly what kind of heating / cooking / washroom facilities etc best met our needs.

The cost of buying a professionally built overlanding vehicle, even second hand, was prohibitive.

The build quality of the vast majority of motorhomes I've poked around in at dealers and shows is not good. Once you delve beneath the surface and look at tell-tale signs such as wiring and plumbing runs, the methods of appliance installation, the care with which joints are made and the way that sealer / adhesive is applied, there is little wonder that owners spend a great deal of time frustrated by failures. There are some notable exceptions and some motorhomes are beautifully made. Good luck finding them though! Too often there is an expectation that consumers will unquestioningly pay through the nose for utter tat.

Essentialy then, there you have it. If you are still even remotely interested, the Trip Truck page acts as an introduction to the real fun and games...

We hope you find our site of some interest and do feel free to contact us if you have any questions or comments.